Unmask My City Photos

Salt Lake City students and clean air activists Sophia Clark and Anna Howard on the slopes at Snowbird, where the air is crystal clear compared to the often polluted Salt Lake City below.

Skier Anna Howard photographed at Snowbird, Salt Lake City, USA, for the Unmask My City air pollution campaign. Anna has volunteered for local efforts to combat air pollution in Utah, as the frequency of the local inversion – a reversal of cold and warm air layers in the atmosphere that traps pollution – raises concerns about her health and the health of her community, and also impacts on her active lifestyle. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

Dr. Brian Moench, anesthesiologist and president of the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, wears an LED light mask outside the Utah State Capitol building as part of the Unmask My City air pollution campaign. The mask changes color dynamically according to real time measurements of local air pollution levels, and according to Air Quality Index standards for PM2.5 particulates. The city has been in non-compliance for fine particulate matter 24-hour federal health standards, and this green mask shows that this is not one of those days – at least at this end of the city, which is elevated above move polluted areas of the valley. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

Ella Udell wears an LED light mask as part of the global Unmask My City campaign outside the Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah. The mask changes color dynamically according to real time measurements of local air pollution levels, and according to Air Quality Index standards for PM2.5 particulates. The city has been in non-compliance for fine particulate matter 24-hour federal health standards, and this yellow mask shows that this is one of those days, with levels more than double World Health Organisation standards for healthy air. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

Corbin Anderson from the Salt Lake County Health Department photographed at the Salt Lake County Government Centre during the “love clean air fair”. The fair is for employees, with the aim of improving awareness of air pollution issues, and to help them make better consumer choices for better air quality in the city. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

Denni Cawley, Executive Director of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment. She talks about how families that live in Utah are exposed to heavy metals, benzene and other hazardous air pollutants which can cause respiratory disease and impair fetal development. UPHE receives many letters from families concerned about their children’s health and about the pollution from refineries, gravel pits and mining operations. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

Zach Frankel, Executive Director of the Utah Rivers Council, discusses the how legislature in Utah is often written by industry, and how it is up to lobbying efforts of citizens to improve local laws when it comes to air pollution. The city has been in non-compliance for fine particulate matter 24-hour federal health standards, and while awareness of the issue is rising, there is a need for more engagement from citizens and other groups to pressure leaders for better air quality legislation. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

Cherise Udell wears an LED light mask as part of the global Unmask My City campaign outside the Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah. The mask changes color dynamically according to real time measurements of local air pollution levels, and according to Air Quality Index standards for PM2.5 particulates. The city has been in non-compliance for fine particulate matter 24-hour federal health standards, and this red mask shows that this is one of those days, with levels more than five-times World Health Organisation standards for healthy air, making it unhealthy for everyone, and a potentially serious risks for sensitive groups. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

Ashley Soltysiak from Heal Utah discusses air quality issues in Salt Lake City, Utah, in front of the State Capitol Building. The city has been in non-compliance for fine particulate matter 24-hour federal health standards, and awareness of the issue is rising, leading to more and more groups of concerned citizens getting together to pressure their leaders for action. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

Salt Lake City resident Ryan Stolley wears an LED light mask as part of the Unmask My City air pollution campaign in Utah, USA. The mask changes color dynamically according to real time measurements of local air pollution levels, and according to Air Quality Index standards for PM2.5 particulates. Here it is green, indicating good air quality levels, negating any need to wear a protective mask. However, while air quality on this day was good, overall Salt Lake City is notorious for non-compliance with federal health standards for fine particulate matter. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

A medical student wears an LED face mask lit up with current air quality readings inside the Rudabai (Adalaj) step well in Gandhinagar. Part of the Unmask My City air pollution campaign, the mask changes colour dynamically according to local air pollution levels, with the colours matching Air Quality Index standards for PM2.5 particulates. Here it glows orange, showing pollution is more than triple World Health Organization standards for healthy air, making it unhealthy for sensitive groups. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

Dilli Babu, a fisherman from Ennore, Chennai, wears an LED face mask lit up with current air quality readings near the NTECL Vallur Thermal power plant. Part of the Unmask My City air pollution campaign, the mask changes colour dynamically according to local air pollution levels, with the colours matching Air Quality Index standards for PM2.5 particulates. Here it glows yellow and orange, showing pollution levels are roughly double to four-times World Health Organization standards for healthy air. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

Małgorzata Szadkowska wears an LED light mask for the Unmask My City air pollution campaign in the Warsaw Old Town. The masks change colour dynamically according to real time measurements of local air pollution levels, and according to Air Quality Index standards for PM2.5 particulates. Here the mask is lit green and yellow, showing air pollution levels on this day were between good quality and twice World Health Organization limits. Małgorzata commutes 18 kilometres to work by bicycle from her home in Kabaty, near a nature reserve. She says she doesn’t need a car given she travels by bicycle and public transport, but she worries that being active among increasingly heavy traffic in Warsaw is putting her health at risk. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin

Dr. Sadun Bölükbaşı, a cyclist and physician living in Adana, Turkey, wears an LED light mask as part of the Unmask My City air pollution campaign. The mask changes colour dynamically, according to real time measurements of local air pollution and according to Air Quality Index standards for PM2.5 levels. Here it glows red, more than five-times of the World Health Organization recommended limits, unhealthy for everyone and a serious health risk for sensitive groups. Copyright: Global Call for Climate Action / Greg McNevin